By Anderson Ojwang
The honeymoon is over, the fanfare is gone. It is now time for premium tears in the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) as reality sinks deeper and painfully.
In Homa Bay County, the ODM National Chairperson Gladys Wanga opened the taps of tears as they freely flowed over what she termed as betrayal and lack of respect for ODM.
Visibly emotional and drained, Wanga used a handkerchief in her hand to wipe the tears as the public watched in disbelief and sympathized at the same time.
Wanga declared that ODM was the only inheritance left behind by the founder, the late Raila Odinga, and will defend it at all cost.
“This our party is what our party leader, the late Raila, left us. It is all we have. We will defend and protect our party. Defending our party comes number one before anything else. So we will defend our party, our people, and we will defend our areas. We will make sure that our parliamentary strength is not reduced by even an inch. Ok wane mumbo wala ei ot (We are not scared of darkness). No, no. It is our party. Weche modong wabiro wacho mbele ka wasebedo kod heshima e party ka (We will only discuss other business when respect exists),” she said.
Wanga said any discussion will only be applicable when ODM gets its respect and its political strongholds are respected and safeguarded from infiltration.
“Other things we will talk about, but we must first have respect for our party. Those other things will follow later. Because without the party, voters and the people, there is nowhere we are going, my people,” she said.
Yesterday, Kakamega Deputy Governor Ayub Savula, who recently defected to President William Ruto’s party, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), claimed several ODM MPs from the region were crossing over to UDA and were participating in the party elections.
Savula claimed 10 ODM MPs had crossed over to participate in the UDA elections, and in 2027 a new political shift will emerge in the region with most of the ODM MPs defending their seats on President Ruto’s party.
“Today, we are having several ODM MPs conducting UDA elections in their constituencies. We are a team and a force. You can see the number of ODM MPs crossing over to UDA,” he said.
National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohammed claimed that state machinery was being used to pressure ODM legislators – particularly from the Coast and Western regions – to defect to the United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
He said the move was aimed at weakening ODM’s national influence and reducing it to a regional outfit.
ODM joined the government following the 2024 political realignments and youth-led protests, a move supported by the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga to stabilize governance and promote national unity.
“We joined to foster unity and inclusivity. The party could reconsider its position if it continues to be sidelined,” he said.
The party has now convened a Central Management Committee meeting to assess the situation and determine its next course of action, including the possibility of exiting the arrangement.
But President Ruto has moved to forestall the ODM tears, saying UDA and ODM will unite and work together.
“The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) will unite and work together. The underhand forces driving division between our two parties will not succeed. Our country is better when UDA and ODM are together. We are strengthening the Broad-Based Government through continuous consultation with grassroots and elected leaders. This keeps us in touch with the realities of our fellow citizens, ensuring the decisions we make are shaped by the people. Our goal is to unite the country around a shared agenda – the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda – and drive inclusive growth where no Kenyan or region is left behind,” he wrote on his social media handles.
The ODM Linda Ground faction is also divided, with a section of members opposed to zoning while Wanga and her team support zoning.
The proponents of zoning, who had earlier been lobbying for the Deputy President slot in the ODM-UDA pre-election coalition, have abandoned that debate and have now placed zoning as a priority in the negotiations.
MPs Millie Odhiambo, Elisha Odhiambo, Onyango Koyoo, and Senator Tom Ojienda have opposed the proposal.
Millie said ODM was the most popular party in the country and the call for zoning was retrogressive and uncalled for.
“There has been a lot of discussion on the issue of zoning. My personal position is that ODM is a popular party. We have declared ODM as a popular and the largest party in the country; how come we demand zoning?” she asked.
She said ODM has managed to successfully front candidates without any formal form of zoning, perhaps maybe a silent agreement like in Nairobi.
“There has never been a need for zoning for ODM. Let us be honest: none of us is Raila Amolo Odinga. We need to listen to the public. The public is keen that we show what we have done for the public. When we start pushing an agenda of zoning, it means we put our personal interest ahead of our constituents,” she said.
Millie said elected leaders should not be scared of competition if they know they have delivered on their mandate.
“If I have worked for my constituency, I should not fear meeting my opponents. So when we talk about zoning, we seem to be seeking favorable treatment. Let us reconsider the issue of zoning,” she said.
The proponents of zoning argue that in order to support Ruto’s re-election, UDA should not field any of their candidates in regions currently held by ODM.
Kaluma said: “I want to tell our friends in UDA, if you think you can have members here in Homa Bay, it will take away votes from the President. In fact, if you want to destroy our relationship, try fronting anyone other than ODM here in Homa Bay.”
Alego MP Sam Atandi said there was no negotiation over zoning and will not allow UDA to plant candidates in Nyanza.
“We are not going to allow UDA to plant a candidate here in Muhoroni. All our party strongholds are reserved for ODM, nothing less or more,” he said.
UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar has dismissed ODM’s zoning demands, saying the UDA party will field candidates across the country.
The UDA Secretary General argued that if ODM is confident in its strongholds, it should allow other parties to field candidates in those areas.
“ODM says the Coast is their stronghold; we are telling them the Coast belongs to the people of the Coast, let us compete fairly. And they claim that even if some of us are allowed to vie for seats, we cannot defeat them in their ODM zones. If you have that kind of courage and confidence, then what problem is the issue with us contesting for those seats?” Omar questioned.
